Brother Lee's Tithe

Brother Lee was 19 when he was called to preach in December of 1892. That winter he filled in and spoke a few times at the church that he attended and at a few other churches close by. The following spring the Lord lead him to leave his home town and the church, to go on a mission.

The pastor of the church told Brother Lee that he was getting old and he had hoped that Brother Lee would stick around and take over when his health failed. But he understood that when the Lord leads you, that is where you have to go.

Brother Lee’s mother was afraid that he might find some wild woman that would lead him astray. He said, Mother I’m going and that is that. She said, Your as stubborn as that white mule you raised. His father said, Son I hope to one day to turn the store over to you, just as my father turned it over to me. You can still preach and run the store too.

Brother Lee said, I don’t know what God’s plans are for me right now. All I know is I have to go some place, I don’t know where or why? God will let me know when I get there. His father said, I think you are only half as smart as that mule you ride. You take more after your mother than I thought.

Brother Lee’s mother said, It looks like it will be a long time before either one of you two will eat any of my cooking ! Brother Lee hugged them both and said Good-bye. They stood on the porch together as he climbed on the white mule and rode off out of sight. They said, Lord look after our son, where ever he goes, take care of him and keep him safe, he needs help getting up in the mornings too.

Brother Lee traveled a long way on his first day out. When dark came, both he and the mule was worn out. Brother Lee said, I think tomorrow I’ll get up a little later and make a shorter day of travel, besides, I didn’t bring an alarm clock or have mother here to yell "Get out of bed or I’ll throw a bucket of water in your face, then you’ll get up in a hurry."

Brother Lee fell asleep quickly under the stars. The next morning about an hour before the sun came up, a brief rain shower soaked Brother Lee and woke him up. Brother Lee said, Lord your going to make sure I don’t get home sick, it’s just like it was at home, I wake up wet.

Brother Lee climbed on the wet mule and said, Lets go to work, God has done made it clear that we won’t get to lay around here sleeping while there is work to be done. Lets go find out what he has planned for us to do today.

Just as the sun was came up, Brother Lee found himself at the top of a hill, looking down into a valley. There was a farm house with smoke coming out of the chimney in the distance. Brother Lee told the mule: You see that smoke coming out of the chimney. That means someone is cooking breakfast. Where there is smoke, there is flour, and where there is flour, there is biscuits. Come on lets get down there before they are all gone.

Brother Lee rode up to a sad sight. A small little girl was standing over a fresh grave with wild flowers in her hand. She was about 6 years old. He watched as the little girl knelt down and placed the flowers she had just picked on top the mound of dirt.

He heard the little girl say:" I miss you daddy, I brought you these flowers, I hope you like them. While your up there with Jesus, ask him to fix it, so we don’t have to leave. I want to stay here, so I can bring you flowers every day. I know Jesus will understand. Mommy cries a lot. She thinks I don’t know it, but I hear her at night after I go to bed. Some times she cries all night, I know, because I’m awake crying too. We both love you daddy, we miss you alot."

The little girl got up and turned around with tears still running down her sweet face. She saw Brother Lee standing there wiping the tears from his face. Brother Lee knew this was were God wanted him to be. The little girl said, Did GOD send you? All Brother Lee could do is nod his head, yes. The little girl said: " I knew Jesus would send help."

Brother Lee said, I wish more had your kind of faith, then I could sleep late with out getting water throwed in my face. The little girl said: Oh, I thought you had been crying. Who threw water in your face? Brother Lee said, God, he wanted me to wake up and get to work. She said, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for God to throw water in your face and wake you up.

Brother Lee said, Don’t worry about it, I get water throwed in my face about every morning, this is not the first time it’s happened. I’ve been getting up wet for years, I wouldn’t know how to get up any other way.

The little girl said, My name is Sally. Brother Lee said, They call me Brother Lee back home. Sally said, My mommy is cooking breakfast, are you hungry? Brother Lee said, I could stand to eat a bite or two. She said, Put your mule in the barn while I tell mommy.

Brother Lee said, Maybe you should ask your mother first. I’ll stand right here in front of the house while you go in and see. Sally went into the house to ask her mother if Brother Lee could eat? It started to rain out side again. Brother Lee stood there in the rain. He looked off to the side and noticed his mule going into the barn out of the rain.

Brother Lee looked up in the sky. He said: I know Lord there is a good reason why you have me standing here in the rain. While you let the mule go on in where it’s dry. I know its not because the mule is the only one smart enough to get in out of the rain.

Brother Lee stood there as the rain poured down, Just like he told Sally he would. It seemed like he had been standing there a long time. His mule stuck his head out of the barn with a mouth full of hay. The mule looked at Brother Lee and went Hee-haw, Hee-haw a few times, as to laugh at Brother Lee before turning around and going back after more hay.

Sally’s mother came out and said, Come up on the porch, out of that rain. Brother Lee ran to the porch. She said, I’m sorry to have took so long, but you have to understand, you being a stranger and all.

Brother Lee said, No need to explain I understand, it gave me another opportunity to talk with the Lord. She said, I was going to ask you to move on and leave, because I was afraid, its just little Sally and me, I guess you saw the grave. Brother Lee said: I over heard Sally saying you might have to leave?

She said, Yeah, we have until November to pay off a loan against our farm. She said, We have to raise the 28 acre field on our own and with out a plow horse.

During the meal the 3 of them all talked. Sally’s father died about a week ago. They had to sell their plow horse to by food.

With no way to raise a crop, she couldn’t have credit at the General store or any where else any more.

Brother Lee said, You know a man can pay his Tithes in many ways, not just by money, but by works also. I owe the Lord an awful lot. I would appreciate it if you would let me work it off here on your farm, as part of my tithes to the Lord. I have a strong mule out there in your barn, eating your hay. I’m as strong as a mule myself and about half as smart.

She said, We don’t even have enough food to feed ourselves until a crop can be raised and sold. Brother Lee said, Then you have nothing to loose, and I’m sure God will find a way. She said OK we can give it a try, we already have the seeds stored back and the use of the land, until November anyway.

Brother Lee rode into the nearby town to check on odd jobs until the field dried out enough to plow. A man gave him a job loading cross tries on flatbed railroad cars. He said, It’s hard work and I pay by the day, I expect at least a full 12 hours of work. You come back first thing in the morning.

Brother Lee returned to the farm and told Sally and her mother about the job he got, until the fields dried out. He asked if he and his mule could stay in the barn, for them to have a place to sleep and if Sally would wake him up early so he could make it to work on time? She said: OK.

The next morning Sally went out to wake Brother Lee up about 5 AM. Brother Lee was sleeping so good when the cold bucket of water was poured on him. He looked up and saw little Sally standing over him.

She said, I guess you were expecting to see God, you sure looked surprised when you work up. Brother Lee said, Yes, I was quiet surprised.

Sally said, I hope God is not mad because I woke you up like he does. Brother Lee said, I’m sure he is not mad, I would dare to say it even made him smile. But lets think of a different way for you to wake me up tomorrow.

Brother Lee arrived on time to load the cross ties. Brother Lee is a small man, the other man that showed up to load cross ties was a big man over 6 ft tall and 300 lbs, all muscles. The big man laughed when he saw Brother Lee’s small size. He said: You won’t last till noon, these ties will break your back, I doubt if you can handle your end of one.

The big man went to one end of the pile and Brother Lee to the other. Brother Lee picked up one end of the cross tie, it was pretty heavy. When the man picked up the other end of the tie that Brother Lee was holding, it became even heavier. The man was taller and this shifted the weight more towards Brother Lee’s end.

The big man said, This cross ties weigh more than you do, little man. Brother Lee said, I guess about as much as the cross that Jesus was nailed to. The man said, What are you, a preacher? Brother Lee said, Well as a matter of fact I am. The man said, Don’t waste your breath preaching to me, you won’t make it till noon as it is, little preacher man.

Brother Lee did preach as he worked and he kept pace with the big man. Brother Lee would say things like "Here we go Jesus, just another cross to carry, for one more that has been lost, but now is found." By noon the big man was dragging his feet and telling Brother Lee to slow down on the trip back to get another cross tie.

The big man said, Slow down little preacher man, I’m the only one on this end, you got the Lord down there on your end and helping you out. Brother Lee said: Jesus can be on both ends, for with God all things are possible. The big man said, Well I don’t go to church or nothing, so he wouldn’t help me out even if I asked him.

Brother Lee said, Jesus doesn’t ask what you done yesterday or last week, all that he is concerned with is what you plan to do the rest of your life. Brother Lee went on to explain about how Jesus gathered his disciples, that he didn’t call them from churches, he walked by while some of them was working and said, "Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men".

After noon Jim, the big man, was asking Brother Lee a lot of questions about the things Brother Lee had spoke of earlier in the day. At the end of the day Brother Lee asked: Where is the local church located at, because tomorrow is Sunday? Jim told him where it was. Brother Lee said, Come go with me, it will be the first time for both of us, to go to that church.

Jim said, Are you trying to make a fisherman out of me? Brother Lee said, you show me a hole of water and I can do that too, A mess of catfish sounds pretty good for Supper tonight. The two men headed off for the creek, Brother Lee on the back of that white mule, and big Jim on his horse.

While sitting on the creek bank fishing, Brother Lee told Jim about Sally and her mother. Jim said: Yeah, the whole town knows about it. It’s sad that they will have to move. Brother Lee also told how he had promised to help raise the crop to try and prevent them from having to leave. Jim said: Don’t expect any help, Mr. Barker, he is the banker that plans to reposes that farm, and everyone around here knows it.

Jim said, People owe him money, and are afraid to chip in and help out. He runs almost everything. Brother Lee said, Do you owe him money Jim and does he run you? Jim said, I don’t owe nobody nothing, and nobody runs me.

Brother Lee said, I owe Jesus and Jesus runs my life. The work I do on that farm not only helps out Sally and her mother, it allows me to pay tithes back to God for all he has done for me. Jim said, Today you worked like a mule, now your talking like one, too bad your not as smart as one. Brother Lee said, I’ve been told that before too.

Brother Lee brought a mess of catfish back for Sally’s mother to cook, and they were glad to get it. They gave thanks to the Lord for the meal of fine fish. Brother Lee asked how early did they have to leave to get to church on time.

Sally’s mother explained that they don’t go to church anymore, they fellowship with God at home. Mr. Barker, the man waiting to take the farm, he pretty much controls the church too. Brother Lee said: No man controls Gods house, they may think they do, but God is just using them as part of his plan some how. Besides you don’t go to church because of who is or is not there, you go to hear God’s word.

Sally’s mother said, You haven’t been to that church. Brother Lee said, I really think you should go and bring little Sally along. But she said, No, not right now anyway.

Brother Lee was very tired when he got to bed and slept like a rock. Sally tried shaking him and speaking to him. Brother Lee kept right on sleeping. Sally got the bucket, and Brother Lee got soaked again. Sally said, No wonder God has to throw water in your face to wake you up. Sally turned and walked out of the barn with the empty water bucket in her hand.

Brother Lee arrived at church and found Big Jim pacing out front waiting on Brother Lee. They both went inside and sat down. A lot of people was there, the man that had hired him to load cross ties, the banker and his wife, the church was full. The preacher, preached a good sermon about Jesus calling the 12 disciples.

Jim was well pleased that he had went to church with Brother Lee. Brother Lee said, It’s always nice to be in the house of the Lord. Jim said, Do you want to go fishing again? Brother Lee said, I’m going to go and hold a church service of my own, for Sally and her mother, they wouldn’t come to church this morning, your welcome to come along if you think you can stand it?

Big Jim said, I put up with your preaching all day yesterday didn’t I. Besides there won’t be anymore cross ties to load until later on in the week. Brother Lee said, Good, it’s about dry enough to get some plowing done tomorrow. Big Jim said, I think I’ll go fishing, those fish tasted real good last night on my plate.

When Big Jim and Brother Lee got to Sally’s house, Brother Lee invited them to come out on the porch to hold church there. He said,"Where two or three is gathered in my name there I am also." And we have four here for church. Sally’s mother said, If you preach too long, lunch will get cold, I fried more of those fish that you caught.

Brother Lee said: Services will start immediately following lunch, I preach better on a full stomach. Sally said: I can hear better when my stomach doesn’t growl either. Big Jim said, A-men to that Sally.

After the noon meal of fish was over, they gathered back out on the front porch. Brother Lee preached about - Sowing seeds and the seeds that fall on good soil, and those that fall by the way on the path. After the service was ended Big Jim said, You know, If I bring my horse and plow over and help you plow, that field would get plowed a lot quicker and we could have time to go fishing.

Jim said, Maybe Sally’s mother would cook them for us, they taste a lot better when she cooks fish, the ones I cooked was a little burnt on one side. Brother Lee said, Did you turn them over? Big Jim said, The side that burnt was the outside.

The next day Brother Lee woke up wet again. He heard Big Jim’s voice say: Get up or I’ll throw another bucket on you, what do you want to do, sleep all day, the sun will be up in half an hour? Brother Lee said, You have been talking to Sally haven’t you? Big Jim said, No, Why?

Brother Lee got up and said, Never mind, I’ll tell you later. A few minutes later Sally came carring a bucket of water into the barn to wake Brother Lee up with . She saw that he was already up and that Big Jim was there. Brother Lee said, There is no use to waste good water after it’s been carried. He took the bucket of water from Sally and threw it on Jim.

Sally got a good laugh out of that and so did Brother Lee and Big Jim. Jim said, I guess that’s one way to start off the day. Brother Lee said, All mine seem to start off like that. Jim said: What do you mean? Brother Lee said, I’ll tell you later, that is if you can keep up with me plowing. Jim said, I’ll look back every now and again to see how your doing, I might even stop and wait on you for a while, if you get to far behind.

They spent that spring and that Summer together farming, fishing and loading cross ties during the week. On Sundays they went to church in the morning and held church (after the noon meal) on the front porch with Sally and her mother.

People in the community watched how hard the two men worked and when there wasn’t cross ties to load or farm work to be done in the field, they watched them go fishing. Big Jim gave his life over to Christ on one of those fish trips, and Brother Lee baptized him in the water hole where they always fished. It wasn’t planned that way, but thats where they just happened to be at when Big Jim was saved.

Brother Lee said: No use in putting it off, so they laid down their fishing poles and waded in. Big Jim went down under water filthy with sin and was raised up out of the water clean and white as snow. They walked back to the farm. While standing there, they were looking over the crop that was ready for harvest.

Brother Lee said, The harvest is bountiful, but the laborers few. The preacher from the church rode up and asked if Brother Lee would like to speak along with 2 other men at church Sunday night? The preacher said: You each can take about 10 minutes to say a few words. Brother Lee said, I’d be glad to.

The next night was Sunday night and Brother Lee and the other 2 men where seated behind where the preacher stood to preach. The preacher came up to the 3 men and said: Mr. Barker and some of the other members of the church said not to talk about Hell or tithes or anything sad that is in the Bible.

Brother Lee watched as the other 2 men scratched out notes and scribbled out new ones on pieces of paper, while the preacher of the church was opening up the services. Then the first man got up and spoke on Jesus healing the sick and forgiving sin. The second man, when it came his turn speak, he spoke on Moses and of the burning bush.

Both men stayed within the 10 minutes allotted to them to speak. It was now Brother Lee’s turn to speak to the crowd gathered in the church. Brother Lee took his Bible in his hand and stepped up to the pulpit.

Brother Lee said, First let me congratulate my fellow speakers here tonight on the fine job that they did, and to the preacher of this church, on what a fine job he has been doing. I’ve listened to his sermons for several months now and each one has been excellent. That is why we all came here tonight, it was to hear God’s word.

Tonight your going to hear it too, You only want to hear about good things or happy things. You want to hear about what God will do for you and not about what you are to do for God. You think all God expects from you is for you to show up for church and that is it, thats all you have to do! Somebody needs to throw a bucket of water in your face and wake you up, your dreaming.

God doesn’t owe you anything, Jesus doesn’t owe you any thing, you owe Jesus because he died for you on that cross, not because of things he done, but because of the sins that you and I have done. It’s our fault he had to die like that. Jesus said Give to Caesar What is Caesuras, and give to God what is God? Jesus is talking about Tithes and thing done for the Lords work!

That means pay your taxes, pay your bills, pay God his Tithes! Tithes can be work, food, your time or what ever God ask of you, Pay it! Do you think that you can hold out on God and he won’t know it? The Bible says: Not a sparrow falls from a limb that God doesn’t know about.

If your neighbor is sick and you know he can’t feed his animals, or she can’t cook for her kids. Go feed the animals, cook for the kids, thats paying tithes to God. You will be paid for it, maybe not in this life, but in the next. God sure is not going to let the likes of us out do him in good deeds.

By faith are you saved. If you don’t have faith, then he doesn’t know you, and if he doesn’t know you, your going to HELL!

I would hate to think, that if someone asked me, What have you done for God? The best answer I could give was, I went to church every Sunday.

Have you read in the Bible what it says about- If you burden a widow? If you don’t help her when you can, your placing a burden on her that shouldn’t be there. If you burden a widow, you better run and try to hide. It won’t do you any good, but you can try, because God knows what rock you crawled under.

If you don’t read the bad parts, the ones you call unhappy stuff, how are you going to know what God expects you to do? When your standing in front of the Pearly Gates, that is not the time to find out. You say: Jesus I didn’t know, nobody told me these things when I was alive. You can’t use that excuses now because I just told you.

You come to church to hear God’s word, and you heard it. That rock, if your still planning on crawling under it, make sure it is out in the desert someplace so you can start getting use to the heat, you know what I’m talking about, and God knows you know.

Brother Lee gave the services back over to the pastor of the church. Brother Lee might have took more than the ten minutes that he was to speak, but he is not very good about getting up or down on time.

The next day he was awaken by Sally, she came running into the barn saying: Brother Lee, Brother Lee. He jumped up to see what was a matter. Sally said, come look at all the people here to help out, even the banker and his wife, the preacher and everybody is here. Sally said, God sure did throw water in a lot of peoples faces this morning to get them awake and send them here. I knew Jesus wouldn’t let us down.

Brother Lee said, Sally you have the faith that moves mountains.

The crop was harvested, all in one day, and the banker bought the crop and signed off the farm loan as PAID IN FULL. Brother Lee said, His work was done here. Big Jim said God is leading him to go with Brother Lee for a while at least. Brother Lee said:Get on your horse and lets go before God throws a bucket of water on both of us, he don’t like it when your wasting time and there is work to be done.

Brother Lee and Big Jim said, Good-bye to Sally and her mother. The two men rode off not knowing where they would wind up, but where ever it was, God would lead them there.

Written by: Johnny lee Hall 3-25-2000
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